How to make a deck with wood pallets

Written by julie boehlke

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Wood Pallets are reusable and recyclable.

If you are looking to switch over to a more Greener Lifestyle, transform your Backyard and save some Cash while you do it! By making this 'Eco Friendly' earthy looking Wood Pallet Deck for practically next to no cost to you, you get a nice Outdoor Living Area and are able to recycle used products at the same time!

Skill level:

Easy

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Things you need

Large Wooden Pallets.

Paper.

Pencil.

Chalk Line.

Measuring Tape.

Shovel.

Level.

Flat Piece of Land.

Partner or Assistant.

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Instructions

1

Find an area in your Yard where you would like to build your Wood Pallet Deck.

2

Locate Free Wood Pallets at Local Manufacturing Companies or Businesses and ask if you can take them home.

3

Once you have all the Pallets you need for your Deck, measure your Pallets to see how big of a Deck you will want to Build.

4

Take your Pen and Paper and create a rough draft design of a Deck Pattern that will conform to the Outdoor Living Space that you have to work with.

5

Measure the area you are going to be building your Deck on and configure how many Feet of Space you will need to prepare for the build based on how many Pallets you have to work with.

6

Allow up to one inch spacing between each Pallet for wood expansion and additional design space.

7

Chalk off the exact area of measurements in which you want to build the Deck.

8

Take your Shovel and dig up the measured area until the surface is smooth and free of chunks of Grass, Rock and Debris.

9

Take your Level and make sure the ground area is level and smooth.

10

Have a Partner help you grab your Pallets and begin to place then next to each other, one inch apart, in your designated design pattern.

11

Use excess dirt for support and filler for the Wooden Pallets. Step down firmly on the Pallets to set them into the ground and to level the entire deck surface.

12

Enjoy your new free Eco friendly Deck!

Tips and warnings

Pallet decks can be ideal for people who live in temporary housing or rental homes, as the deck is not a permanent fixture of the home.

Call or visit local manufacturing companies to find out if they are throwing away their wood pallets; many list their pallets as 'free' or free for the asking just outside of their loading docks.

Pallets will eventually rot due to contact with moisture and soil. To promote drainage and forestall rot, you can lay the pallets over a tamped bed of gravel (lay the gravel over landscape fabric to prevent weed growth) and/or you can prop up the pallets on landscape timbers, fastening the pallets together and to the timbers with deck screws.

Do not use pallets that are broken, and be aware that pallet wood is rough and splintery, so it's not ideal for bare feet.